robinson



E. M. ROBINSON.

SWITCH STAND. APPLICATION FILED JU-LY l1. I9I9.

Patented Dec. 23,

nnennn M. nonrnsoiv, or cnroaeo, rntrnors.

SWITGH-STAND.

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Application filed July 17, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, EUGENE M. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Eltate of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Switch-Stands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates torailway switch stands.

Tn what is known in the art as open pattern, drop lever, switch stands, there is provided a stand frame, a vertical mast rotatable in the stand and terminating at its bottom in. a horizontally extending crank arm which is in turn bent downward to form the crank pin to which the connecting rod is applied, said rod being fastened in place by a nut below it, with or without a cotter pin. This horizontal crank arm is normally placed parallel to the track and at practically right angles with the connecting rod when the switch is set to side track position and swings through 90 to a position practically at right angles to the t a l: and in line with the connecting rod and mast when the switch is set for main line. This construction is desirable for several reasons, one of which is because the greatest power is obtained with the least effort to draw the switch point tight to main line position.

- The objection to the construction just set forth is that if the cotter pin forgotten or otherwise gets out of place, the nut may unscrew itself from the crank pin, whereupon the connecting rod will drop down and render the switch stand inoperative and perhaps cause a wreck. Attempts have heretofore been made to obviate this difficulty by turning the crank pin up instead of down with reference to the crank arm and providing a connecting rod which is offset around the switch mast, but this co11- struction is objectionable because it requires an rmnecessary spreading of the ties adjacent to the switch stand and a consequent enlargement at additional cost ofthe base of the switch stand in order to afford sufficiont space for the operation of the crooked or bent connecting red. It is further objectionable because it is possible on removing the nut or cotter pin to lift oi the corn necting rod and thus perhaps cause a wreck.

The ob ect of this invention is to provide a construction in which a straight connectinp; rod is still used thus avoiding the necessity of spreading the ties; in which an upturned crank pin is provided thus avoiding Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented cc. $3, this.

Serial No. 311,433.

danger resulting in the nuts dropping off therefrom; to still maintain the effective position of the crank pin in the plane of the mast and connecting; rod substantially at right angles to the track when the switch is in main line position and to finally interlock the parts so that even if the nut on the crank pin is removed the connecting rod cannot be displaced whenthe switch stand is set at main line position.

The invention consists of means of carrying; out the foregoing; objects which can be easily and cheaply made, which is satisfao tory in operation and is not readily liable to get out of order. More particularly the invention consists in so bending the crank arm or the mast or parts of both immediately adjacent to the connecting rod that the desired results are obtained without regard to manner of bend. More particularly the invention consists in features and details of construction hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals represent the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 shows a switch. stand, illustra ing this invention in its preferred form, showing the side away from the track.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the parts in Fig. l tahen from the left side thereof.

3 is a sectional plan. view talien about the middle of the height of the switch stand showing the parts in the same position as shown in Fig. l.

Fig. l a perspective view of the im proved crank arm of this invention; removed from the stand but with a special form of nut on the crank pin.

.lfig. 5 is a side view and 6 a plan view of an alternative construction for bending}; the crank arm to produce the same result.

The mechanism of this invention is shown applied in the ordinary conventional switch stand frame 10 having its opposite legs 15?. mounted on. suitably spaced ties 14E. Journaled in this stand 10 in bearings 16 and 18 is the usual rotatable vertical mast 20 terminating; at its top in the usual head 29. carrying the operating handle and padlock device 26 all of ordinary construction.

Below the switch stand frame and between the ties is the usual substantially straight switch connecting rod 28 leading; away to the track and switch mechanism not shown in the drawing. adjacent to the llt) stand this switch rod terminates in a per forated loop or eye 30 fitting over .and journaled upon the vertically extending crank pin 32. This crank pin is, as shown, carried by the mechanism of this invention consisting of the horizontally extending portion 34 immediately adjacent to the mast 20 proper; the downwardly extending portion 36 form ing an offset at one side of the switch rod 28 as shown in Fig. l, and the horizontally ex tending portion 38 lying in a different vertical plane from member 36. The swinging end of member 38 terminates in the bottom of crank pin 32. Some persons would call the parts 34, 36, and 38, taken all together as the crank arm, others would define the parts 34 and 36 as an offset in the mast and the part 38 as the crank arm. No matter what terminology is used, the essential thing is that these parts taken together do form a construction which, as shown in the figures, permits of the combination of the upturned crank pin 32 and the straight con necting rod 28 without danger of the nut 40 (or the nut of the alternative construction 42) dropping off; in which in the position of Fig. 1, the connecting rod 28 lies within the U-shaped recess 44 formed in the device which prevents its being lifted off from the crank pin 32 even if the nut be removed, while the real effective crank arm is pai allel to the connecting rod as desired.

The particular nut 42 shown in Fig. 4 consists of an upper non-circular nut portion 42 of ordinary form and a lower circular portion 42 designed to be used in affording bearing in the notch 48 shown in the mechanism of Fig. 2 of my prior patent No. 1,218,956, dated March 13, 1917. The part 42 may be a sleeve or roller separate from a nut 42 or may be rigid therewith.

The alternative construction of Figs. and 6 differs from that of the preferred construction only in that the part 38 instead of bein straight, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is made of the right angular construction 4546 clearly appearing in plan view in Fig. (3. This construction makes the bent portion 474845 appear more like an ofi'- set in the mast 20 than as a portion of the crank arm, but the results are just the same as in the preferred construction.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a switch stand, and a vertical mast rotatable therein, a switch rod below the stand capable of movement to a point where it intersects the central axis of said mast, an upwardly extending crank pin pivoted in said connecting rod, and a crank arm mechanism connecting the lower portion of said crank pin with the end of the mast above the connecting rod, ofiset to inclose the connecting rod at a point remote from the crank pin while the crank pin remains substantially in the plane of the connecting rod and mast.

' 2. In combination with a switch stand, and a vertical mast rotatable therein, a switch rod below the stand capable of movement to a point where it intersects the central axis of said mast, and upwardly extending crank pin pivoted in said connecting rod, and a crank arm mechanism connecting the lower portion of said crank pin with the end of the mast above the connecting rod, offset to inclose the connecting rod at a point remote from the crank pin while the crank pin remains substantially in the plane of the connecting rod and mast, and means located above the connecting rod for detachably fastening the connecting rod on the crank pin.

3. In mechanism of the class described, a vertically mounted rotatable switch stand mast, a connecting rod below the mast proper lying in one position across the axis of the mast and having its end extending to a point beyond the mast, an offset crank arm mechanism extending first outwardly from the mast, then downwardly at approximately right angles to about the lower side of the connecting rod and thence away below the connecting rod to its end, a crank pin on the last mentioned portion of the crank arm mechanism extending upward through an opening in the end of the connecting rod for the purposes set forth.

4. In mechanism of the class described, a vertically mounted rotatable switch stand mast, a connecting rod below the mast proper lying in one position across the axis of the mast and having its end extending to a point beyond the mast, an offset crank arm mechanism extending first outwardly from the mast then downward, at approximately right angles, about the side of the connecting rod and thence away below the connecting rod, and a pivotal connection between the last mentioned portion of the crank mechanism and the end of the connecting rod.

5. In mechanism of the class described, a vertical rotatable mast having at its bottom an onset portion 34-36 fornnng a recess 44 for the reception of the side of the connecting rod and an outwardly extending horizontal portion lying in a different vertical plane from the parts 34 and 36 and pivotally connected with a connecting rod at a point remote from the mast.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE M. ROBINSON.

lVitnesses DWIGHT B. CHEEVER, A. ROSENTHAL. 

